Buddy Hield made eight 3-point baskets on the way to 26 points and Richaun Holmes ruled on the interior with 23 points and 20 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings drubbed the visiting Charlotte Hornets 140-110 on Friday night.
The Kings had all sorts of perimeter production, making 22 of 44 attempts from 3-point range. That was a nice mix with Holmes shooting 9-for-12 from the field, all from inside the arc. Sacramento maintained a comfortable margin for most of the game, with the margin never dipping below 12 after the first quarter en route to a second straight win.
De’Aaron Fox contributed 21 points, Davion Mitchell had 19 points, Harrison Barnes and Tyrese Haliburton both posted 14 points and Maurice Harkless notched 10 points for Sacramento. Mitchell hit four treys as 15 of the long-range baskets came from reserves.
The Kings held a huge rebounding advantage, 56-28 edge. They also had six players reach double-figure point totals before the midway mark of the third quarter.
Gordon Hayward’s 25 points and LaMelo Ball’s 24 points and 13 assists paced the Hornets. Cody Martin added 12 points, but Miles Bridges was held to 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field.
Charlotte has lost three games in a row, starting a five-game road trip with a couple of lopsided defeats. A 15-4 run for the Hornets late in the third quarter gave them a chance, closing within 97-83, but the Kings built the lead back to 17 points by the end of the period.
Sacramento led 74-53 at halftime, sparked by 41 first-quarter points.
The Kings shot 55.3 percent from the field in the first half, highlighted by 14-for-25 shooting on 3-point attempts. Hield had four of the treys off the bench.
That shooting helped Sacramento overcome 10 first-half turnovers.
Charlotte was just 5-for-17 on 3-point attempts in the opening half. The Hornets’ 8-for-14 shooting on free throws before the break didn’t help matters.
The Hornets were without forward P.J. Washington, who has a hyperextended elbow.
Charlotte’s five-game winning streak in games against Sacramento came to a halt.
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–Field Level Media